The hepatitis C virus (HCV) is the leading cause of chronic liver disease worldwide. (Boyer, N. et al., J. Hepatol. 32:98-112, 2000). HCV causes a slow growing viral infection and is the major cause of cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (Di Besceglie, A. M. and Bacon, B. R., Scientific American, October: 80-85, 1999; Boyer, N. et al., J. Hepatol. 32:98-112, 2000). It is estimated there are about 130-170 million people with chronic hepatitis C virus infection, and there are about 350,000 deaths from hepatitis C-related liver diseases each year (Hepatitis C Fact Sheet, World Health Organization Fact Sheet No. 164, June 2011). Cirrhosis caused by chronic hepatitis C infection accounts for 8,000-12,000 deaths per year in the United States, and HCV infection is the leading indication for liver transplantation.
HCV infection becomes chronic in about 75% of cases, with many patients initially being asymptomatic. The first symptoms of HCV infection are often those of chronic liver disease. About 20 to 30% of patients with chronic hepatitis due to HCV develop cirrhosis, although this may take decades. Development of cirrhosis due to HCV also increases the risk of hepatocellular cancer (The Merck Manual Online, Chronic Hepatitis, available at www.merckmanuals.com/professional/hepatic_and_biliary disorders/hepatitis/chronic_hepatitis.html, last revision February 2007).
In light of the fact that HCV infection has reached epidemic levels worldwide, and has tragic effects on the infected patient, there remains a strong need to provide new effective pharmaceutical agents to treat hepatitis C that have low toxicity to the host. Further, given the rising threat of other flaviviridae infections, there remains a strong need to provide new effective pharmaceutical agents that have low toxicity to the host. Therefore, there is a continuing need for effective treatments of flavivirus infections and HCV infections.